Bulls Offseason Thread

[bcl412]

One think I think the Heat and their fans are underestimating is the fact that teams are going to be gunning for them every night. It didn't help when LeBron said the games would be easy, either.

 

I'd imagine teams are going to try to be very physical with that team. It feels like the NBA vs the Heat and an injury to that team would be pretty bad with their lack of depth.

[Derwood]

I can't wait for Wade's shoulder to explode and for that team go be starting two replacement level players every night

[UMFan83]

I can't believe the Heat have enough money to sign Haslem and Miller to multi million dollar deals. The Heat are going to be scary good.

 

Chalmers

Wade

James

Bosh

????

 

Miller

Haslem

 

The rest can be scrubs, they will dominate.

 

Admit it; deep down that's what you want.

 

It doesn't bother me as much as it probably should. I don't think the Bulls can win the East even if the Heat weren't formed. Not saying they won't be better but I think it's a year or two away.

[Sammy Sofa]

Dream big.

 

Just this once.

[Sammy Sofa]

Take my hand.

[Sammy Sofa]

AND JUMP.

[DivineBovine]

I think the Heat will be damn good and probably win championships, but the more I think about it, the more I think they can really underachieve. They haven't proven that they can play effectively together without detracting from each other. They haven't proven they can play defense. They haven't proven they can't be dominated inside.

[seanimal]

The Heat are going to be awesome to watch, I don't care what anyone says. I'm really excited for this season.

 

Plus no more Vinny Del Negro!

[bcl412]

The Heat are going to be awesome to watch, I don't care what anyone says. I'm really excited for this season.

 

Plus no more Vinny Del Negro!

 

I am too actually. I thought I'd hate this super team thing but they've given me a reason to have some interest in the game. I'm sure non-Bulls fans always thought about the Bulls like I'm going to think about the Heat so this could be fun.

 

Plus the Bulls should be pretty good this year too (they have a good chance to win their first division title in 12 years, which isn't the worst thing ever.) so that could be fun.

[UMFan83]

I think the Heat will be damn good and probably win championships, but the more I think about it, the more I think they can really underachieve. They haven't proven that they can play effectively together without detracting from each other. They haven't proven they can play defense. They haven't proven they can't be dominated inside.

 

There is just too much talent from the top 3 to really let things like interior defense stop them. Plus, IIRC Haslem is a decent interior defender. And I'm sure whatever center they pull off the scrap heap will be defensive minded. As far as being able to play together without detracting, they both, especially James have the ability to be great distributors when needed. I don't think they would have accepted less money to play together and then fight about who is doing the scoring and who is doing the distributing.

 

Not saying role players aren't important because they are in most situations, but bottom line is that superstars are the difference, especially in the playoffs. I think you'll see the Heat have a mediocre regular season record (by mediocre I mean 50-55 wins) as they figure out how to play with each other as well as conserve themselves for the playoffs. Then they will pick up steam come playoff time and run over the East. I think the Lakers have too many weapons to lose to Miami though. At least this year. In 2-3 years when the Heat have 2-3 MLE's used up there will be no stopping them.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'll throw down dough that Wade is too busted for that to be the case in 3 years.

 

This is gonna be fun to watch, but I have a hunch it's not going to last too long.

[SpongeWorthy]

Wade will extend his career by not having to make every single play on the team.

[DivineBovine]

I think the Heat will be damn good and probably win championships, but the more I think about it, the more I think they can really underachieve. They haven't proven that they can play effectively together without detracting from each other. They haven't proven they can play defense. They haven't proven they can't be dominated inside.

 

There is just too much talent from the top 3 to really let things like interior defense stop them. Plus, IIRC Haslem is a decent interior defender. And I'm sure whatever center they pull off the scrap heap will be defensive minded. As far as being able to play together without detracting, they both, especially James have the ability to be great distributors when needed. I don't think they would have accepted less money to play together and then fight about who is doing the scoring and who is doing the distributing.

 

Not saying role players aren't important because they are in most situations, but bottom line is that superstars are the difference, especially in the playoffs. I think you'll see the Heat have a mediocre regular season record (by mediocre I mean 50-55 wins) as they figure out how to play with each other as well as conserve themselves for the playoffs. Then they will pick up steam come playoff time and run over the East. I think the Lakers have too many weapons to lose to Miami though. At least this year. In 2-3 years when the Heat have 2-3 MLE's used up there will be no stopping them.

 

 

 

Maybe this is not the greatest example, but the last time I can think that the same team had two talented wing type guys were the Raptors. 2000 Toronto Raptors had Vince Carter and TMac. Granted they are not the same tandem as DWade and LeBron, and they were also at different stages of their careers, as both Carter and TMac were early in their careers. But the tandems had similar type games. That Toronto team got swept in the playoffs in the first round by a defensive minded Knicks team whose leading scorer was Allan Houston. Sure they didn't have Bosh, and the tandem was not as strong. But they weren't even close to a championship.

 

TMac the very next year became a total stud with Orlando after just being a decent player in Toronto. Maybe he improved, but maybe he was held down by playing with a similar type of player. Vince Carter had his best season ever the year after TMac left.

 

Does a team really need two guys who can dribble around 3 people and take 20+ shots a game?

[SpongeWorthy]

I love Matt Taibbi: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/matt-taibbi/blogs/TaibbiData_May2010/179533/83512

[chuckywang]

The Magic are jerks for dragging this out for so long.

[Tracer Bullet]

And Stern fines Gilbert 100 large. wow.

[shnsajax]

And Stern fines Gilbert 100 large. wow.

 

I think its pretty accurate, he deserved it.

[Soul]

And Stern fines Gilbert 100 large. wow.

 

I think its pretty accurate, he deserved it.

 

He can afford it.

[chuckywang]

And Stern fines Gilbert 100 large. wow.

 

And $90k of it was for his use of Comic Sans.

[erik316wttn]

And Stern fines Gilbert 100 large. wow.

 

I think its pretty accurate, he deserved it.

 

Stern took both Gilbert and LeBron to task.

[C.C.]

No way this happens:

 

LAS VEGAS -- When Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert predicted that his Cavaliers would win a championship before The King and his Miami Heat Superfriends in his open letter to LeBron James, the assertion seemed about as foolish as the letter itself.

 

Yet Gilbert's inexplicable confidence in making the statement -- and lack of confidence in the Heat's new star-studded core -- may have stemmed from a scenario that has fast become a hot topic among the league's owners: The notion that the Miami Three of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could be down to the Miami Two after just one season.

 

It is, in fact, a possibility.

 

Share With the league's collective bargaining agreement set to expire after next season, the owners are poised to go the way of the NHL and insist on a hard salary cap in the next deal that could be in the neighborhood of $45 million. If they are successful in that attempt -- likely after a lockout like the one endured by the NHL in 2004-05 -- the Heat and a number of other teams could be forced to release key players if their salaries surpassed the cap.

 

James, Wade and Bosh are reportedly scheduled to make a combined $43 million on their own next season with 10 percent annual raises thereafter, potentially meaning a nightmare scenario on South Beach. The Heat would hardly be alone in their despair, as the defending champion Lakers have approximately $80 million in committed salaries for the 2011-12 season and are slated to pay a combined $45 million for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol alone.

[shnsajax]

No way this happens:

 

LAS VEGAS -- When Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert predicted that his Cavaliers would win a championship before The King and his Miami Heat Superfriends in his open letter to LeBron James, the assertion seemed about as foolish as the letter itself.

 

Yet Gilbert's inexplicable confidence in making the statement -- and lack of confidence in the Heat's new star-studded core -- may have stemmed from a scenario that has fast become a hot topic among the league's owners: The notion that the Miami Three of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could be down to the Miami Two after just one season.

 

It is, in fact, a possibility.

 

Share With the league's collective bargaining agreement set to expire after next season, the owners are poised to go the way of the NHL and insist on a hard salary cap in the next deal that could be in the neighborhood of $45 million. If they are successful in that attempt -- likely after a lockout like the one endured by the NHL in 2004-05 -- the Heat and a number of other teams could be forced to release key players if their salaries surpassed the cap.

 

James, Wade and Bosh are reportedly scheduled to make a combined $43 million on their own next season with 10 percent annual raises thereafter, potentially meaning a nightmare scenario on South Beach. The Heat would hardly be alone in their despair, as the defending champion Lakers have approximately $80 million in committed salaries for the 2011-12 season and are slated to pay a combined $45 million for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol alone.

 

That would be funny, more so for the Lakers.

[Flames24Rulz]

There's not going to be a season next year if the owners truly are that adament about a hard cap.

[erik316wttn]

There's not going to be a season next year if the owners truly are that adament about a hard cap.

 

A hard cap would be ok, but there should be a couple season grandfather period in which teams can gradually adjust and meet the deadline by a certain year, instead of having to gut their teams right away.

[UMFan83]

I can't see that happening...especially with the cap that low. If the cap was that low, I'd expect to see a grandfather clause or a scale down period where you have to trim that payroll down in a 3 or 5 year period.

 

Otherwise, half the league is going to be released after next season. But if this did have a chance of happening, I'd really like the Bulls to stop spending, or sign players to 1 year deals, mostly tank this season and then pick up some of these FAs from 25 cents on the dollar.

 

Luckily however this situation turns out, the Bulls are in good position with only 2 high priced players on the books after this season (Boozer and Deng). Rose and Noah are escalating in salaries, but everything should be in place, including the new contract structure by the time we need to resign them.

 

Honestly, I don't want to see a hard cap with the NBA. What I'd like to see is a harder cap than what we have now.

 

Here is my proposal:

-I like the idea about limiting contracts to a maximum of 4 years, and I do like the idea that contracts are only guaranteed for 3 of those seasons. It's gonna be really hard for the players association to agree to that. Perhaps you could do something like, after 3 years you can release the player, but his salary is still guaranteed, but it doesn't fall under your salary cap.

-Institute a salary cap like we do now, but give teams and additional amount on top of the cap only to resign their own players. So if the cap is $58 million, the most you can spend on your team is $78 million. If your payroll is $78 million and you want to resign Derrick Rose to a $3 million raise, you can't unless you cut someone.

 

I have no idea if this is really feasible, but it makes sense to me after 3 seconds of thought.